The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-08-19
GheRemurrat-Sh
FASHIONABLE DANCES.


Our charming Creole girls WHIT
so we'll appreciate the poetry o
motion must study TO perfect them
selves in the graceful aud dIgnifeC
dances Of their grand mothers, TO
Parisians have resuscitated thre,
of the stately national dances O
the past, the Minnet, the Pavane,
and the GavOtte, which in the las
three years have gained ground I,
such an extent that they threaten
to GUST the Quadrille aud cofillior
in the saloons of Paris and draw
rooms Of London. The figures Of
the minuet can be acquired readily.
We append Il few notes from the
New York Sun:
In the first place it must be re.
membered tha a minuet can not be
danced by two dancers, and IN the
second place, that the graceful
movement OF the arms forms an es-
sential element OF the dance, both
on tue part of the man aud of the
woman, but especially on the part
OF the man, who must move his
arms gracefully all the time, where.
IS the woman, except when she
gives her hand to her partner, has
no movement TO make, her arms be.
ing occupied In holding her skirts
very slightly spread out in front,
the grip being taken by the thumb
and index. The holding of the
skirts in the minuet is pretty atti.
tude, the arms hanging naturally
alongside the body, in such a man
ner that the elbows almost touch
the hips. In the third place, it is
very necessary to catch correctly
the cadence of the dance, OH which
depends the perfection of the min.
uet step. Rameau describes the
true minuet step as q compound of
four steps tO-wit: Three move.
ments aud a walking step on tip.
toe; the first movement is a demi.
coupe OF the right foot and one of
the lett, a step of the right foot on
tiptoe aud with the legs stretched
out at the end of this step you
let the right heel SINK gently to the
moor, so that the right knee may
bend, aud this movement causes
the raising of the left leg, which
passes TO the front With q demt
coupe echGppe, which constitutes
the third movement of this minuet
step and Its fourth step. To exc
this true minnet step YOU
must have considerable strength
10 the iDstep, and as all do not Dos.
sess this strength the step has been
This simpler steD is
also composed of four, viz two
demt cOapes, one to The right and
one to the left foot, the two steps
on tiptoe, one with the right foot
and one with the left foot, the
whole executed in the course of two
bars In triple time, of which the
1rst 10 called a cadence and the
)ther a cOOtredanse. liz order TO
understand this minuet step
may divide it iuto three equal
parts, the first demi coupe, the sec.
md demi coupe, and thirdly the two !
or pas marches on iiptoe,
which ought to be executed in the
anne time as is required for a sin.
lie demt coupe. Aud with the last
as mGrche, which is that of the
eft foot, you let the heel rest on +
be floor, 80 that YOU may be ready I
0 begin another minnet step with
hrm starting point, Y
with slight notifications of the
movements of the feet and legs.
bis pas de mOnuet, or mInuet step, /
be executed backward and
ldeways, and these four varieties
backward, forward and lateral
leps are necessary 10 compose the =
Iinuet figure, which Is that Of the
tier u or the letter s. To begin.
le dancers advance toward each
to salute, the lady making a
)urteSy or reverence. and the man e
llutlng With his hat and hands. 3
"a Louis XIV, provided of course,
10 dancers are in costume. Then 4
70 dancer takes The hand of the
dy, his own hand being below
I'd tue lady's ha Il above, and al.
rnately, hand in hand, OF separ. a
by a series of minuet stems &:
I'd turns, the couple describe the
cure q, and, arrived at the last
ep OF the figure, they salute each 900
her cerlmoniously aud begin over ,
'ain it they think proper, intro.
icing all kinds of fancy steps and in
ncy hgures; for in the miuuet, hal
in all tbese old dances, much
'ltude appears to have been left
Individual skill and invention,
10